Folk Tales Of The Adis

The Adis, one of the main tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, live mostly in West Siang, Upper Siang, East Siang and Lower Dibang Valley districts of the State. Traditionally, they are believers of the Donyi-Polo tradition though they practise an animistic creed and propitiate various gods and goddesses on different occasions. The Adis believe in a number of divine and malevolent spirits. They propitiate the benevolent ones to win their approval and the malevolent ones to wean them away from inflicting pains to them. Innumerable tales and myths are woven around them which constitute a major part of their social mythos. Besides the myths there are a large number of tales known to the tribe?s members some of which are parables in nature while many others are illustrations of their cultural icons. This anthology of 57 folktales of the Adis has been compiled by the author after research spread over a number of years and in consultation with folk tale singers-Miris-who pass them on from generation to generation by word of mouth. The tales have been briefly and simply presented, along with a list of keywords at the end of the tales. Along with the anthology of tales a large number of illustrations depicting facets of the social and cultural life of the Adis provide an appropriate context of the tales and add great value to this excellent book.

Obang Tayeng (b. 1961) graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru College, Pasighat with Honours in Political Science. He has long been associated with Adi cultural and literary activities in various capacities. Besides writing features and articles from time to time in local newspapers, he has also edited two anthologies of Adi poetry and co-edited two other books. Presently, he is working on folk tales of the mishmis of Lohit District.